Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. Points are generally scored by shooting the basketball through a hoop generally mounted about ten feet above the playing surface. Good shooting technique enhances a player's ability to score points.
Numerous methods for shooting the basketball have been developed. For example, there are shots known as the lay-up, the hook shot, the two-handed set shot, the dunk, and the jumpshot. Of all of these shots, none has developed as much importance in the modern game of basketball as the jump shot.
In a properly executed jump shot, the player jumps into the air and shoots the ball at the apex of the player's jump. Because of the increased speed and size of basketball players, the jump shot is an extremely effective method for scoring points. This is particularly true when the jump shot is combined with other techniques for getting unobstructed shots at the basket. These techniques include shooting a jump shot after executing a head or body fake. In addition, a jump shot can be used after a player comes off a screen set by another player.
Because of the versatility of the jump shot, proper execution of this shot is critical to achieving efficiency in scoring points. In the preferred method for executing a jump shot, the elbow of the shooting arm is kept in towards the centerline of the body during the shooting motion. The centerline of the body is an imaginary line dividing the player vertically down the middle of his or her body. When the elbow of the shooting arm is not along this line when shooting, the basketball has a tendency to stray from its proper shooting trajectory. This tendency causes a decrease in the percentage of shots that fall through the hoop.
A number of shooting aids have been developed to assist players with their shooting techniques. U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,685 to Bishop discloses a training device in which the player wears a vest to which is pivotally mounted a "guide bar". The guide bar guides the basketball player's arm in a generally vertical plane. This device is awkward, requiring the player to wear a vest with a bulky attachment. The Bishop device also relates to an old-style "push-shot" technique where the arm is positioned away from the body centerline. This technique has been replaced by the jump shot.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,341 to Furr discloses another basketball shooting aid. The player wears a body harness from which extends a metal L-shaped guide member to constrain the shooting arm. The projecting metal guide member flares out from the device and remains in this position after the player takes a shot. This device is bulky and awkward. It also has the further disadvantage that it must be disassembled and reassembled for right and left handed players.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,783 to Caveness shows a belt-supported bracket that has an extendable arm attached to it. The arm has a transverse gage bar attached to its upper end to indicate the height at which a user's elbow should be raised during shooting. A guide bar depending from the gage bar indicates the lateral position of the elbow during shooting. This device is unwieldy because of its bulk.
A number of other devices have been developed to remove or lessen interference from a basketball player's guide arm and hand during shooting. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,919,425 and 5,228,682 to Wolf and U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,342 to Houck are examples of these devices. These patents are directed to problems very different than that solved by the present invention.
Additional devices have been developed to promote the correct motion of the shooting hand during execution of a shot. U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,217 to Swain and U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,617 to Gilford are two such devices. However, these patents are directed to problems very different than that solved by the present invention.